8. Chicago Bears
You have to tip your cap to Ryan Poles, the Chicago Bears GM. While the roster is far from perfect, the Bears didn’t really luck into an NFC North title last year. What we saw was a dominant offensive line, a QB going in the right direction, and a ton of young players making names for themselves.
Sure, the defense isn’t what you wanted it to be in 2025, but the unit did get a bit of a makeover this offseason, proving that Poles did understand what went wrong last year. There are still valid questions about the pass rush and secondary, especially now with safety Coby Bryant out for an extended period of time, but the offense is really where this team stands apart among a ton of other teams.
Caleb Williams is also one of the better passers in the NFL and should continue to get better while being surrounded by some excellent skill players, and, of course, a potentially elite head coach in Ben Johnson.
7. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have been among the best teams in the NFL for years now, and it feels like they’re primed to be a similar team in 2026. For years, the Bills had wide receiver issues, but that seems to have been taken care of in the offseason with the DJ Moore trade, who came over from the Bears.
The offensive line was a top-3 unit in the NFL last year, and as we all know, not only is James Cook a top-7 running back, but Josh Allen might be a top-5 player in the NFL. Defensively, the Bills didn’t stop the run that well last year, but Jim Leonhard’s unit does have some massive defensive line talent and workable defensive backs as well. This is all to say that if the Bills win, let’s say, 12 games this year, not a single soul would be surprised.
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